Another Lonely Angel
by Angel Leviathan
Summary: She looked him right in the eye, vision blurred with her tears, and she lied. Doomsday spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Another Lonely Angel

Author: Angel Leviathan

Disclaimer: Doctor Who, characters, concept, etc, don't belong to me.

Spoilers: **Doomsday**, everything in the most recent two series in general.

Notes: Alternative take on the end of Doomsday.

* * *

She lied. 

She looked him right in the eye, vision blurred with her tears, and she lied.

For what reason, at the time, she didn't know. It was something she had been longing to tell him since they had been parted. When, by some miracle, he found her and made everything alright again. But he didn't and he hadn't. And during the moments when she could have been truthful, she couldn't do it. She couldn't even touch him, let alone be with him again. He always knew when she was lying, but not that time. Losing everything she loved had hardened her against the world. To be fair, she got as far as mentioning the baby. But what was the use of telling a father he would have a child he would never see, never hold in his arms? She loved him too much to be that cruel. She was in agony as it was, she couldn't inflict more pain on him. The disbelief, the shock, the hope in his eyes decided it for her.

Rose Tyler looked the Doctor right in the eye, vision blurred with her tears, and she lied.

Part of her silence was due to fear, she was able to admit to as much later. Was it allowed? Was she allowed to have his child? Was there some great cosmic law they had broken that would bring unknown, terrible danger to all she had left of him? What would he have done to get to his child, get back to her? Destroyed two universes, sacrificed people and planets to get to them? She couldn't live with that on her conscience. Knowing she lied she could live with. She had keeping secrets down to a fine art. She could live with keeping one for the rest of her life. More death, more destruction…even to see him…no. No more.

Deep down, she knew she hadn't wanted to risk someone coming to take her child away. The impossible was always possible, somehow, somewhere…some when. Someone would want the child of a Time Lord, even if it was half human. All she knew was that the baby was all she had. Better to lie and say the baby would be a sibling and not a son or daughter. The universe was a cold and twisted place. If he ever spoke of having a child somewhere, someone would hear, someone could reach it. If she ever admitted the baby was his to anyone beyond the three who had essentially saved her life, she knew it would be taken from her.

Rose didn't go for scans. She didn't go for checkups. She didn't ever go to the hospital. She feared for her child's life too much, enough to risk both its life and hers to ensure nobody knew what was in the bloodline of her baby. She gave birth to a baby boy, at home, in the mansion that was suddenly home. Jackie laughed in hysterical relief as she delivered what seemed to be a perfectly normal, and healthy, baby boy. Jack Tyler. Named for a irrepressible captain Rose had once known.

Sixteen years later, she was now the mother of a precocious sixteen year old. Some said her son was gifted. Others were hailing him as a genius. A child prodigy. Rose just saw her son, and saw his father in everything he did. Brown hair, brown eyes, that manic smile. Thin, tall and lanky. There were times she begged him to feign ignorance and stupidity. He was attracting attention to himself. He seemed to be always surrounded by friends, friends who seemed to genuinely love him. For that, Rose was glad, but every now and then she caught a look on his features only his father had mastered. Being alone in a crowd. Terribly and utterly alone. A lonely angel.

At times like this, she was tempted to tell him everything. Tell him he wasn't just smart, he was brilliant, and that there was a reason for that. That he was different, he didn't just sometimes ponder the subject and pretend not to. She couldn't. What good would it do? He could never discover everything he wanted to, even with the truth. Perhaps he would think her mad, telling him he was the son of an alien, the last of his race, and that now, he, technically, was the last of the Time Lords. Unless he had some great build-up of genetic knowledge (and she didn't even know if that was possible) that would allow him to somehow get to the answers he sought, the truth would only wound her son. So Rose remained silent.

God, he was so like his father it hurt.

She carried on with her life. She worked daily at Torchwood and made sure Jack never got anywhere near the building. She had no idea what they would do if they ever got their hands on him, even for a second. Rose spoke daily of aliens and other worlds and sometimes of the Doctor and gradually learned sometimes to smile when she spoke of him, instead of breaking down in tears. She learned to be strong, for her son if not for herself. She would do anything for him, she had to protect him from what she knew and he didn't. He thought the fantastical tales she sometimes told him were all made up – he told her she should write children's books and sell her stories. She could never sell the truth. And besides, her parents, her suddenly rich parents, made sure that she and Jack never wanted for anything. They had enough money to bribe doctors and pharmacists for anything Jack ever needed, no questions asked. Examination records were always destroyed and anyone who got close enough to know how different he was, if only biologically, was always paid off with enough cash for them never to want for anything either.

Mickey offered to marry her. Several times. Rose knew he wanted to marry her. But she couldn't. She couldn't marry him when they both knew he would always be second best. And, even though she always told herself she was wrong in the head for even hoping, she thought that one day the Doctor might find a way to see her again. She finally convinced Mickey to marry a woman he really loved, not her. She was sad on his wedding day, but she wouldn't have had it any other way. She couldn't let him keep waiting for her to change her mind.

Any romances she had were over quickly and usually messy. Nobody could ever live up to what she had lost. Nobody would ever understand about Jack, she couldn't trust anyone to let them get that close to him. She had one night stands and even an affair with a married man, once, only when the loneliness got too much for her to bear. When she wanted physical comfort and nothing else. Just trying to feel alive again. And failing.

Rose was watching over her three siblings one day, one of whom was still of an age where going to the park was exciting, the other two engaged in some sort of new technical game, when she heard a familiar voice. From years back. She shook her head and didn't move from the bench she sat on, telling herself she was being stupid and fanciful. She supposed it could be Jack, but he was at school. She heard the voice again and glanced at her two eldest siblings, "Did you guys say something?"

Kathryn and Elizabeth looked at her as if she were mad for a moment, then both shook their heads and returned to their game.

Rose tracked the movements of the youngest Tyler, wondering if her little brother was calling for her. No, he was happily running round the park after some of his friends.

"Rose."

She stood up and whirled round, taking a step back when she laid eyes on the figure before her.

"Hello, Rose Tyler."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:** Most theories stated in this chapter are from the book 'Parallel Worlds' by Michio Kaku.

* * *

Rose could only stare in shock, before she finally noticed the concerned glances of her sisters. She shook her head, "Girls, go home," she stated, voice firm. 

"But-" Kathryn began.

"Don't argue with me, get Jimmy and go home," she continued. When the girls didn't move, still staring at her, she glared at them and raised her voice, "Now!" she shouted, angrily.

Elizabeth scrambled into action, dragging Kathryn with her, "But why…" she was heard to mumble, before she shouted for their little brother and ran to find him.

Rose stared straight ahead, "'Cause I think I'm hallucinating…again…"

Her early years in the universe that had become her new home hadn't been at all easy for her. Not only had she been plagued by dreams of the Doctor, but she had out right hallucinated his presence beside her several times. Doctors had insisted she was depressed and prescribed her a course of anti-depressants, but there was no way they could ever comprehend the real reason for her unusual behaviour. Post natal depression, they had suggested. The trauma of being a young single mother. If she had ever spoken of the real reason for her sadness to a regular GP, they would have had good reason to pack her off to a psychiatric ward.

"Rose…"

"You're not real," she smiled sadly, "You're not real and I'm looking like a right nutter again, talking to myself in the park."

The Doctor, or what appeared to be the Doctor, stared right back at her. A moment's pain passed across his features, "Rose, I'm here," he insisted, making no moves toward her.

"Why?" Rose demanded.

He sighed, "Because you lied to me, Rose Tyler. And Torchwood are lying to you. Your Torchwood anyway."

She decided to ignore the first statement, self preservation, "How would you know?"

"I know because I slammed right into their biggest cover-up and it nearly killed me, for a start," he shot back, decidedly angry. This evidently wasn't the reunion he had been expecting, "Really got the people with the wonderful skills in decision making in this reality, didn't they? Or should that be 'didn't you'?"

"You said I could never see you again," Rose said, voice shaking.

"Never say never," he answered, "I said 'you can't' not 'you never will'."

She almost laughed – he spoke of it as if it were yesterday. Maybe it was yesterday for him. If he was real. If it wasn't a trick. And, of course, if she wasn't finally losing her marbles, "How'd you end up here?"

"Thanks to their little experiment. They're going to have god knows what pouring through if they're not careful."

"Pouring through what?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, "You really don't know?"

"Know what?" she nearly shouted.

"Your Torchwood. Trying to create baby universes. For the thrill, because they want to, because they can, who knows? They've already messed up this Earth and they don't seem content at stopping there. They're messing with what they can't handle. Again," he folded his arms, "High energy weapons, vast areas of space. Add the two together and you've got?"

"Pointless target practise?" she raised an eyebrow, "Last I knew they were trying to harness the power of a dying star."

"And…?"

"…Use that energy, conduct it…" realisation dawned, "That's what they needed the power. The weapons aren't enough on their own, I should know, I did a load of the research on them. Baby universes? Never heard of them. Who're my Torchwood after then?"

"They're not after anyone, the weapons aren't aimed at someone, they're aimed at somewhere. Heating up space, cooling it, destabilising space-time. Trying to create their baby universes – its like freezing and melting water, they're creating cracks in space like cracks in a rock."

"…Rifts…" Rose uttered in a hushed whisper.

He nodded, "Rifts. Lots of them. Not as big or mighty as the last one we dealt with-"

She looked away as he used the collective term.

"…But problematic none the less…and to several universes, not just mine…ours…or however you see that…"

"And they know this?" Rose asked.

The Doctor nodded, "They do now. After we wandered on into Torchwood demanding some answers."

"'We'?"

"Ah…" he paused, "Well, that'd be John, Tara and me then…"

She smiled, "So you're not alone," she said softly.

"Would you believe they fell on me? Both of them. Not at the same time, obviously, but some people just need a hand… They have nowhere to go back to…"

"You don't have to explain yourself."

The Doctor suddenly became very serious and his eyes seemed to darken, "Ah, but you do, Rose Tyler."

She took a step back, "What do you mean?"

"You see, I had little idea which reality this was…"

Rose stared at the ground.

"And your Torchwood are lying to you. About the baby universes thing and the matter of your son…"

Her head snapped back up to look him in the eye, "What do they have on Jack?" she barked, panicked.

"…The small matter that he's not quite human…or he's the first human to be born with two functioning hearts…" he said softly.

"Oh…god…" Rose scrambled around in the pockets of her coat, desperately trying to find her mobile phone. They were so small these days they were practically non-existent. And bloody hard to keep track of, wherever you hid them on your person.

"Rose, why didn't you tell me?"

"That doesn't matter-"

"Of course it matters!" he shouted.

"Well it wont matter long if they get their hands on him!"

"They've had the information for years…" he mumbled.

"You what?"

"Years, Rose. Maybe they're biding their time, I don't know, but I do know they're keeping you out of the loop as well and that means trouble."

"No…" she shook her head, still searching for her damned phone, "No… Someone sneezes in that place and I know it. Fifteen years I've been working there."

"Baby universes. Rifts," the Doctor stated.

"…They had me training new personnel all week…and told me I could take today off to be with my family…oh god…" Rose looked up at him, several metres, and the park bench, still between them, "You better not be kidding me. If I wake up or you vanish or something equally stupid happens in a few seconds, I swear I'll-"

He closed the distance between them and reached for her hand, placing it over his hearts, "I'm here. Its me. There's only one me. Crazy old me. Always loved the impossible. Just means we haven't figured it out yet, but we will. Shame it takes some deranged scientists wielding some super-weapons and an organisation with a death wish."

She paused for a moment, feeling the double beat beneath her palm. Felt real. Felt reassuring. But years of living in a foreign universe and caring for a brilliantly different son had taught her to be more than cautious. She couldn't…she wouldn't let herself be sold on the idea so quickly…she couldn't live through the pain of such loss again.

"Sixteen years," Rose said softly, gazing at her palm, still on his chest, and not daring to look up at him, "…How many has it been for you?" she belatedly realised.

"In real time…? About six, I suppose…"

She felt ridiculously bitter at having had to survive another ten years he hadn't had to experience. If he wasn't going to melt beneath her touch at any minute.

Unable to stand the distance any longer, the Doctor quickly flung his arms around her and brought her to rest against him. He closed his eyes and rested his head on hers. Years. Too many years. She was different. She was hard and she was cold. Only way to survive, he supposed. He had certainly changed. He hadn't let himself get so close to anyone since her. He had laughed and joked with Martha, had enjoyed her company until she asked to stay on one planet they had visited several times. He suspected she had found herself a nice bloke or something. Then he had rescued Tara. They had both saved John. And he left Tara and John to ultimately save each other.

"That rift. On the beach. Those years ago. Humans consider it a type named after a man named Kerr. Matter can't pass through it without disintegrating. Or destroying the rift, the gateway, and the universes completely. I don't know what your lot are messing with, but I've never seen anything like them up-close. The TARDIS couldn't fight the transfer. And now there are so many universes linked to this one…"

Rose sniffed, finally letting tears fall, "Sixteen years and you want to talk science?"

"No. I want to talk about the last Time Lord. The real last Time Lord…"

"Jack…"

"Our son."

She pulled away from him, "Doctor, you can't just waltz into his life and-"

"I'm waltzing nowhere. We march on your Torchwood, but no force on this Earth is going to keep me from my son," he offered her a hint of a smile, "even his mother."

"Doctor!" a female voice rang out across the park.

Rose turned to see two figures, near enough the same height, standing so close together it was hard to tell if they were one entity or two. Both dark haired, both waving.

"You got what you came for?" the male, presumably John, shouted.

The Doctor looked down at Rose, hesitant smile on his face, afraid to let any extreme reaction show for fear she might bolt. God, he'd missed her. But he couldn't push her. This Rose wasn't the same girl he had been forced to leave behind, "…I don't know…have I?"

She took a deep breath and looked up at him through eyes shining with more tears she was determined not to shed. Rose nodded, "…If this is real. And…for now."


	3. Chapter 3

It turned out that Rose had to lead the Doctor and his two new companions back to the Tyler Estate. She suspected that he knew the way but was letting her have control. She briefly wondered why he didn't suggest using the TARDIS, which she still hadn't set eyes on. Rose wasn't certain she would really believe if any of what was happening was real until she saw it, or set foot inside it. But then, she had had so many dreams she had thought were real only to wake to disappointment that she was scared to let herself even dare to hope what she was experiencing was real.

At some point during the relatively short trip, Rose found she had slipped her hand into the Doctor's as they walked. Whether it was instinct or he had reached for her, she didn't know. Neither had uttered a word about it, and, if she was honest, she hadn't really noticed until she tripped on the pavement and the link between them kept her from falling.

"Careful," the Doctor murmured under his breath.

Tara and John were pacing steadily along behind them, arms linked, as silent as the two they were following. Both tried to pretend complete disinterest in the behaviour of the Doctor and the new blonde woman, but neither could deny their curiosity. He had mentioned the name 'Rose' several times since they had known him, but that had been nearly four years now and he had never gone on about a blonde girl he used to know. He had, however, displayed a few long minutes of absolutely manic behaviour, most of it thankfully in the TARDIS, once he had realised where they were.

"I'm okay," Rose mumbled. She looked up at him and suddenly felt nineteen all over again. She was thirty-six now. His new companions appeared to be in their early twenties. He seemed to have barely aged. God, he really was timeless.

"Is this it?" Tara peered between them at the large building up ahead.

"You said nothing about knowing a millionaire," John commented, amused.

Rose nodded, "This is my parent's place. I suppose it'll split between my brothers and sisters and me when they're gone. They're not exactly millionaires…" she frowned, "They just…have a lot of money…lots and lots of…okay, I guess maybe they are…"

"Quite the change of fortune for you, 'ey Rose?" the Doctor tried another smile.

"Money can't buy happiness," she stared straight ahead. She decided to leave 'and believe me, I've tried' off the end. Rose glanced at her watch and suddenly stopped dead, meaning John nearly crashed into her. She quickly apologised and seemed to stare at the three surrounding her for longer than was necessary. So far, nobody on the streets had been staring at her for holing hands with an imaginary person. And, if this was a dream she had conjured herself, she wouldn't have invented two new friends for him. Well…she might have, probably would have, just so the Doctor wouldn't be lonely, but she was pretty certain that Tara and John weren't the creations of her own mind.

"Rose?" the Doctor frowned.

She fidgeted on the spot, almost uncomfortable for a second, "…School's out now. They shut my brother and sisters' one for the day, teacher training and all. But Jack'll be home, or coming home…"

He nodded, slowly, unsure quite how to react. Which was a rare occurrence for him.

"Don't…" she began. She sighed and tried to find the words, "Don't…tell him anything if you see him. Please," she looked back up at him, "For me. You can't…I mean…it won't…you won't…'Time Lord' him if you get to see him, right? He won't…change…"

The Doctor shook his head, "No, nothing works like that… He's part Gallifreyan, would be, technically is…could be, if things ever turned out that way, the last Time Lord…but my being one doesn't seal his fate."

Rose nodded, absorbing the information. So far, she had passed off any unorthodox medical treatment as a biological defect, as far as Jack was concerned. She had no idea how to introduce the Doctor to her son if he saw him. Her mum and dad might expect some connection between father and son to be forged. She wasn't sure how to handle that.

The Doctor took her hand in his again, "Come on then," his attempt at reassuring confidence failed when his voice shook a little.

"What about all these rifts this Torchwood place has caused?" Tara asked.

"We seal them," he replied.

Rose shook her head as they approached the main entrance to the house, gravel crunching beneath her feet, "No, its not your duty. They screwed up…!" she could remember sealing the rift on her Earth as if it were yesterday. She wasn't prepared for something like that to happen again. And despite all the pain her actions had caused her, she knew she would never be able to forgive herself if the opportunity to save lives and do the right thing arose and she chose herself over others. Even if it meant sealing herself away from him again forever. Or what was supposed to be forever.

"Half the scrapes I get into aren't my duty, but I still try and fix them," the Doctor said softly, "and I don't, who will?"

"Some overpaid idiot beind a nicely carved Torchwood desk and me, I don't know. I'll fix it, I will, I'll make sure they do," she shot back. Rose had never behaved so horribly to him before. Well…perhaps once…twice. Maybe she was seeing how far she could push him…waiting for someone, somewhere to lose patience and reveal the grand trick they were playing.

"Idiot and Torchwood go well together," he commented, "so there you have it in one. I wont let their stupidity cost so much again."

Rose nearly asked what he meant, but he tightened his grip on her hand and she suddenly understood all too well.

"Jack, quit it!" a young female voice rang out from round the corner of the mansion.

"Respect your elders!" a laughing, rumpled, teenage boy emerged from round said corner, tripping into a stumbling run, trying to balance himself on the uneven gravel.

"That's respect your betters!" Kathryn was in hot pursuit, bleach blonde hair flying behind her.

The boy laughed louder and grinned, "If you insist!" he stopped running and dodged the girl who was technically his aunt, grabbing her as she passed him and swinging her round, "Give up?"

"Never!" she shrieked with laughter.

"Jack Tyler, you put Kathryn down this instant," Rose raised her voice.

Both kids stopped dead at the sound of an adult voice of authority.

"Hey, Mum," Jack greeted. He loosened the tie of his school uniform with a grimace, "How's it going?" he realised his mother was clinging to the hand of a man who seemed to be around her age, "Hi, I'm Jack," he greeted.

The Doctor managed to stop staring and nodded curtly, "Nice to meet you, Jack Tyler."

Tara smiled, "I'm Tara, this is John," she frowned when it came to naming the Doctor, "and this is-"

"Oh my god," the astonished voice of Jackie Tyler came from the main door to the mansion, "Oh my god," she repeated. She couldn't tear her eyes from the Doctor.

"Nan?" Jack glanced over his shoulder to give her a bemused look.

Jackie looked from the Doctor to her grandson, then back again. Her gaze settled back on the Doctor, "Its you," she stated, managing to keep her voice mostly neutral.

He nodded, "Its me."

Rose suddenly burst into action, approaching her son with a smile, "He's an old friend," she told Jack, "haven't seen him in years," she stopped beside him, "What did your teachers say about your GCSE's today?"

"Predicted grades?"

"Yeah."

Jack shrugged, "Science still says double A, not so great for English. She says I'll get a C, but won't have trouble passing the exam to get it."

She smiled again, standing in front of him, overly protective, "Well, can't be good at everything."

"The kids said you sent them home early," Jackie spoke only to her daughter, "…I can see why."

"You can see…?" Rose questioned, subtly requesting reassurance that she wasn't mad.

"Oh, I can see alright."

Jack was staring past his mother to the figure in the long brown coat who seemed almost nervous, "What's he called?" he asked his mum, quietly.

Rose looked back at the Doctor, "Well…"

He stepped forward, "I'm the Doctor," he said.

"Doctor?" Jack repeated. He looked back to Rose, "…I don't need another doctor, I'm fine."

"Its his name. Sort of," she explained, "Parents name their kids all sorts'a things these days," she laughed softly, uncomfortable.

"I'm here to help your mum with a project at work," the Doctor began. Not so far from the truth, he supposed. The boy had his eyes. He had a son… He had been a dad once, but that hadn't been…that hadn't been quite the same as actually-

"How'd you do it?" Jackie asked from the door, voice surprisingly soft. If all she saw was true, she was delighted for Rose. But it all also meant she could very well lose her daughter again…or she could get hurt more than ever.

"I didn't," he replied, "Torchwood."

"Mum says they call in specialists all the time," Jack grinned broadly, "You must be one of those really smart guys."

The Doctor found himself mimicking the smile almost perfectly, "You could say that…"

"God, where're my manners? I'll never get the hang of this hostess thing. Look at me leaving you all out here like strays," Jackie shook her head, "Sorry loves, I didn't get your names?" she beckoned to Tara and John, who quickly supplied their designations.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rose, who couldn't help but grin back. Getting her husband back, in a manner of speaking, had certainly mellowed Jackie Tyler considerably.

"Well, you'll be staying then, 'least til morning when Rose goes to work," she glared at the Doctor as if to say 'don't even think about timing it to tomorrow morning in that police box of yours', "I'm sure amongst our several hundred bedrooms and nigh off a million bathrooms, there'll be somewhere to stash you. I swear I still haven't spent more than five minutes in some of the rooms in this place…" Jackie paused, "Or is the world coming to an end?" she tried to make the question sound jovial.

"It might," the Doctor answered, "But I'm sure it can wait 'til morning."

"Mum, I'm hungry," Kathryn complained.

"Alright, alright, go find something," Jackie said, "Jack, give her a hand, would you?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Nan," he headed after his blonde aunt.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Jackie approached the Doctor, "What's going on? Why didn't you get here sooner?" she demanded.

"Mum!" Rose shouted, a little shocked.

"I didn't do this on purpose, Jackie. None of it. Any of it," he insisted.

"You've hardly aged…" the Tyler matriarch mused aloud. She shook her head, "Let's get you all inside then, come on."

"…I'm gonna…" Rose waved her hands in an inarticulate fashion, "Go for a wander round the grounds, yeah?" she headed off.

The Doctor stared after her, uncertain whether to follow or not.

"You two hungry?" Jackie asked Tara and Jack, "Come on, let's find something to eat."

He was still staring after Rose.

"Well, go on then," Jackie prompted.

The Doctor nodded and headed after the mother of his son.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack paced dutifully along to the kitchen after Kathryn, pulling his tie over his head and setting it down on the long kitchen table as they passed it. He shrugged his school blazer off and slung it on the back of the nearest chair.

"Help?" Kathryn was already trying to reach into a high cupboard she had no hope of reaching. The young blonde was rather short for her age, but had learned to put up with the teasing and finally accept that she wasn't likely to grow much taller unless she had a sudden growth spurt. She relied on various apparatus to climb on, such as chairs or tables, to reach high places when her siblings and nephew weren't around to give her a hand.

Thankfully, like many boys of his age, having finally grown taller than the girls, Jack was unusually tall. He wandered across the kitchen and opened the cupboard, "What do you want?" he asked.

"Chocolate chips," she replied.

He grimaced, "Please tell me they're not going in another sandwich…"

Kathryn beamed, "No can do!" she caught the bag that he dropped into her hands, "Cheers." She headed to retrieve more items from the fridge.

He slumped down into a chair, smiling slightly. His relationship with his supposed 'aunt' never failed to amuse him. She was more of a sister to him than anything resembling an aunt. There were only a few months between them. Jack had more or less the same kind of relationship with Elizabeth, though both he and Kathryn looked out for her, even if she was only just over a year younger than them. The idea of James (or 'Jimmy', as he was known) as an uncle was even more ludicrous to him. But out of the three, he got on best with Kathryn. They seemed to be on the same wavelength somehow. Whenever something was bothering him, she was usually the one who managed to calm him down. She was so down to earth it was sometimes frightening.

"Want some?" she shut the fridge door.

"No thanks," Jack replied.

The girl smirked, "Your loss!"

"I'm sure," he shot her a half smile. The smile soon faded, something nagging at him from the back of his mind. Perhaps he had an overactive imagination, but he could have sworn that the man, the supposedly 'specialist' he had seen with his mother had felt…different to the rest of the group. It wasn't as if he had even intentionally tried to single him out either. Most of the people he encountered each day didn't make him look twice, but every now and then someone, somewhere, would catch his attention. He could never quite figure out why…he could just…sense something different from them, like a different kind of energy. His mother had smiled and joked with him when he had told her once, saying he had a gift. Jack had no idea whether she really meant it, believed him, or not.

What he never told her was that sometimes she felt different to him too.

"So. Who'd you think these guys are then?" Kathryn was nothing if not forthright.

He feigned innocence, "What do you mean? Those guys here to help Mum at work?"

"So they say," she raised an eyebrow and began to make herself a sandwich.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Jack commented.

Kathryn winked, "Well damn, we should already be dead then."

"What do you mean 'already be dead then'?" Jackie's voice filled the room as she led their two guests into the spacious kitchen, "What're you two on about?" she caught sight of the snack her daughter was making, "Oh 'Ryn, that's disgusting!" she exclaimed.

"No, s'good," she replied through a mouthful of chocolate chip sandwich.

"Well, I suppose you can help yourselves to anything you can find," Jackie ushered John and Tara into the room. "I'm a lousy cook me, and the little miss over there seems to have inherited the lack of ability."

Jack looked away, as Tara seemed to be observing him with a stare of surprising intensity. Nothing seemed amiss about her. He wouldn't have been able to pick her out of a crowd.

John nudged her and she dragged her eyes away from the boy. Neither of them knew what relation he could be to the Doctor, or even if he was related to the Doctor at all - all they had heard was that the teenager before them was part Gallifreyan. And, as far as they had been told, the Doctor they knew was the very last of his people. Rose clearly meant a lot to him…and so did the boy…it was easy to jump to conclusions. But their time with the Doctor had taught them that the simple answer wasn't necessarily always the right one. They had no right to be jumping to any conclusions.

For a boy of his age, Jack felt rather stupid for wanting his mother's support at that moment.

* * *

Rose finally came to a halt quite a way away from the house, well aware she had been followed. She hadn't wanted him to stop her and he hadn't. He always had been able to read her mind. She sat down on a stone bench and watched the Doctor approach, her eyes never leaving his.

He reached out to tuck a stray strand of dull blonde hair behind her ear before he sat down beside her, no space between them.

She twisted slightly to face him, studying him. She had experienced sixteen years of separation…he had only had to survive through six. She had lived ten years he would never have to. The thought made her feel old. She wasn't a naïve young girl anymore. She wasn't the teen he had invited into his life. But she looked into his eyes and she wanted to be. Desperately.

"…I'd say you're real," Rose finally uttered.

"I should hope so," he responded. "Work hard on existing, I do."

She smiled slightly and stared at the ground.

"…I'm sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry."

"If you'd have found a way back that wouldn't harm anyone, you'd have done it," she replied, no emotion in her voice.

The Doctor nodded and stared straight ahead, "…Why did you lie?" he asked softly.

"Would you have wanted to know? That he would exist and you would never see him? Never see him grow up, never hold him? Perhaps its twisted, but I'd rather have been oblivious…"

"It wasn't your call to make," he said.

"It was always my call to make," Rose answered, keeping her voice even. "If I loved you less then perhaps, yeah, I could've inflicted the pain of knowing you'd never see your kid. I didn't even know if I was going to be able to carry him to term, I didn't know anything, I was so, so scared… And what would you have done if you'd known?"

"Found a way to get to you. To fix things," the Doctor stated, harshly.

"You said everything would shatter. I wasn't going to have that on my conscience, you trying to fix things and people getting killed just to get to me. I'm just a person, another human being. I've seen what I've seen and I've done what I've done, but don't put my life above others."

"You're the mother of my son, the woman I-"

"Don't," Rose said quietly. "…I wouldn't change it…it might have hurt and it might have been difficult as hell, but he's wonderful. He's brilliant and I've damn well made sure he's had a fantastic life. Learning through suffering, right? Something we ought to know about. You can't have everything, you should never have everything."

He glanced at her, "Since when did you become so philosophical, Rose Tyler?"

A quirk of her lips was the only display of her brief amusement, "Since I had the years to remember and remember and remember everything you and the universe taught me. I suffered, I lost you and it tore me apart, but I had him, I got to know this brilliant kid we made together," she smiled properly. "He's just like you. Heart of gold, our Jack. And if being able to fix things would change the time I've had with him, I'd never let you do it. Call me selfish, but I chose to do the right thing back at the rift and we both did the right thing after, you and your burning up a sun to say goodbye…"

"…He's my son…"

"And he's mine too. He's all that kept me going at times. I love him like I've never loved anyone before and he's mine to protect and to love. What if I'd told you? Wouldn't the wondering have driven you mad?"

The Doctor remained silent.

"I did the right thing," she insisted. "Maybe it wasn't what you would've done, but I did what I thought was for the best. What you didn't know wasn't going to hurt you and I could live with that far better than knowing I had taunted you with the idea of a child you'd never see!" she was almost shouting as she finished, hands curled into fists, trying to calm herself down.

His arms were around in her an instant. He might have been angry with her for keeping such a thing from him, but her reasoning was sound. The thought of a child somewhere he might never see would have made him more reckless than he was already. He had no idea of the lengths he might have gone to just to get her back.

"He's just like you!" Rose cried out, on the verge of tears, "Can you imagine what that was like, every minute of every day, being reminded? And I could never love him any less no matter how it hurt!"

He rested his head on hers, eyes closed, arms still tightly around her, "Can you imagine what it was like leaving you to your life? I wanted you back and there was not one thing I could do about it."

"And if you're as stupid as I am, you always hoped-"

"That there'd be a way to make things right, yes."

She pulled away from him, just so she could look him in the eye, "…Do you want to be Jack's father?"

"Do you think you can stop me?" the Doctor's reply was half joke, half challenge.

Rose gazed at him in silence for a long moment, "…I don't know. If he makes the choice and makes your life his… Maybe I should."

"You made my life yours."

"Exactly…"

"…He's just a boy. As far as he knows, a human boy. He can still be bribed with jelly babies, the big kid he is, and sometimes he hands his homework in late. But he was taking apart his toys at six years old and scrawling maths equations across sheets and sheets of paper in his first year of secondary school…"

"He deserves to know why he's different," the Doctor said.

"And he deserves a normal life," she smiled sadly in response, already aware that wasn't going to happen.

"Given the choice, he might surprise us both…" he sighed. "I always looked, Rose…I always tried…always searched for a way to get back to you."

"I know," Rose nodded. "And I tried to smile."

He stood up, taking her by the hand, "We've got some rifts to seal."

"We?" she echoed.

"You are the defender of the Earth, are you not?" he suddenly grinned.

"I'm a mum," she corrected him. "Then I'm defender of the Earth."

He smiled, proud, "My mistake."

"…What happens now?" Rose hesitated.

"We go teach some universes a thing or two. And then we might just have time to teach Jack Tyler a thing or two about the universe."


	5. Chapter 5

Of course, it was never going to be as simple as the Doctor made out. It never was. Sometimes he had the ability to think a few seconds ahead of himself, but most of the time he thought on his feet. Which had made for fun and excitement and near death experiences for Rose, back when she was, as she would put it now 'just a kid', but now she had a child to consider. Meaning she had to guard her own life as well as his. She had no intention of leaving him anytime soon. She was the only one who could ever tell him the whole truth about who he was. Her mum or Micky might try and explain one day if she was gone, but they'd never get everything right, how she wanted it.

Sometimes Rose had imagined whole scenarios where she told Jack about where he really came from and what he really was. About his father and her past and what was really out there. Why it seemed to be a crisis every time he was ill enough to actually need a doctor and why he was never to visit her at work.

She had never once uttered a word of it. She had always encouraged him, told him he was special, but then, wasn't that what any mother did? Truth be told, the brilliance of her son often scared her. She had a child who was far brighter than she was, always looking to her for answers she couldn't give. He surpassed her knowledge before he hit his teens. Jack seemed to absorb information at an astounding rate and it honestly scared her. He had often been questioned as to whether he understood the words he spouted effortlessly – some thought he merely had a photographic memory. But he did understand and Rose begged him to slow down. She wanted him to be normal, so nobody would look to him for anything…so he wouldn't one day leave her all alone.

The thing was, he was normal. Maybe not human normal or whatever passed for Time Lord normal, but he was just a regular teenage boy. Jack didn't lock himself in his room with dozens of books and never do or enjoy anything but science and maths and history. He went out with his friends, he had crushes on girls, he told white lies he thought she wouldn't see through and he snuck out at night when he thought she was sleeping. He permanently looked like he'd been dragged through a hedge backward and always tried to charm his way out of situations in a disarming manner that was often rather startling. Jack never meant any harm. But he made mistakes and he had to learn, just like any other kid. He seemed to stumble his way through life and end up with the right answers through sheer chance.

Maybe that was normal for any child Rose would have had. Maybe it was how she had brought him up - she thought she was never going to find out. But now… She could ask, she could demand answers, ask the Doctor about what childhood was like for his people. If Jack was brilliant for a human, was he slow for a Gallifreyan?

Questions would have to wait, she supposed, if they were off to try and repair the damage her Torchwood had done to several universes. She didn't know what to expect if they succeeded. Would there be time for the questions? The Doctor had said about teaching Jack about the universe…but that wouldn't be simple either. Choices would have to be made before then. If they managed to heal the rifts…would she go him? Would it be right to, could Jack go? It wouldn't be safe. And Rose couldn't suddenly tear her son from his family. Maybe the issue would never come up. Maybe they'd fix the problems and the Doctor would say goodbye.

They walked back to the main building of the estate in silence. Hand in hand. Rose watching her feet, the Doctor staring straight ahead. Both deep in thought. Neither daring to voice their thoughts.

-

"So you…travel?" Kathryn asked, plucking a stray chocolate chip off her plate.

"We travel, we learn things. There's a lot out there to see," John tried to give as vague an answer as he could, uncertain just what the teens were supposed to know. Clearly the adults of the house were aware of who the Doctor was and what he did, but the kids…? He wasn't about to risk blundering into some story about aliens and far off planets and running the hell for their lives.

"They've dropped the whole Gap Year scheme now," the girl answered mournfully, "I wanted to see the world before I went to a university. Now they want everyone to wait until they're fully qualified to be something productive to society before they let anyone go off and have some fun…"

"Isn't the fantasy world inside that head of yours big enough? You don't need to see the real world," Jack teased.

"Well…it would be nice to see places for real!"

Tara laughed, "I've got to agree. Nothing beats seeing the real thing. Students should form a mass protest or something."

"Where're you guys from?" Jack asked, "And that Doctor bloke?"

"I'm from London and John over there's from Cardiff," she explained. She just left out the simple fact that there were a thousand years between their dates of birth. It didn't need to be said.

"You don't have an accent," Kathryn accused John.

He feigned shame, "What can I say? Too long spent travelling."

"What about the Doctor?" Jack questioned. The different vibe he had felt from the stranger was still nagging at him. Who better to ask than the people he travelled with?

"He's from…"

"Around…" Tara finished, "His parents moved around a lot, he's been travelling since he was a kid," she lied, "never really settled, you know? He doesn't really have a proper home," that much was true.

Jack just nodded and munched thoughtfully on a crisp. Well…as long as his mum trusted the guy.

-

Meanwhile, Jackie pounced on her husband as soon as he set foot in the mansion.

"He's back!" she hissed.

"What the-" Pete exclaimed, "Who's back?" he frowned, "Jack? About time, I'd've thought, his school finished ages ago. I'd say that grandson of ours does some serious loitering," he smiled.

"No! The Doctor!"

He stared, "That's impossible."

"You always say that! Then what happens? Something stupid. You and your reality hopping back then and you say this is impossible?" Jackie snapped.

"So you've seen him?"

"No, I've developed the ability to sense aliens all of a sudden. 'Course I've seen him!"

"Where is he?" Pete asked.

"With Rose."

"With Rose? You sure that's a good thing? What if its not him? And what about our Jack?"

"He does a bloody good impression if its not him. The two he's picked up since her seem friendly enough. Pretty harmless I'd say. They're with 'Ryn and Jack right now, in the kitchen. Go interrogate them if you want. If its not him, we'll find out soon enough," Jackie sighed, "Maybe it was meant. Maybe this all had to happen. If he was in any kind of state like she was after we got stuck here then he was gonna find a way back to her one day."

"In the universe Rose belonged in their Torchwood was made because of him. She might know what she's getting herself into again, but Jack? Father to the boy or not, the Doctor's only going to put him in danger, mess him around like a dog with a squeak toy," Pete replied, keeping his voice low.

"She grew up without a dad. You really think she's going to let this opportunity for them to meet properly pass?"

"All I'm saying is watch out. He might fix Rose and break Jack."

"She'd never let that happen," Jackie insisted, "Look, I admit I wasn't always his number one fan or anything, but if its him then let them try and fix it. I've lived with a broken daughter long enough. I want to see her happy, however that has to happen."

"How is he here?" Pete frowned.

She shrugged, "Don't ask me. Probably someone at that Torchwood messing up again, who knows? People's Republic have never run that place any better than what you described before."

"Yeah? Well having that Doctor floating around in this universe where he doesn't belong isn't exactly their mission statement," he sighed, annoyed with himself for snapping, and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, "Let's go find the kids. Kitchen you said?"

-

"…Would you have wanted him?" Rose uttered, breaking the silence as they approached the main entrance to the mansion.

The Doctor frowned, "I wouldn't have asked you to get rid of him, if that's what you're asking. But that's neither here nor there, considering I didn't know and I wouldn't have been able to see him anyway."

"If nothing had happened. If we had just carried on like we did, no trouble, no Daleks, Cybermen, all that."

He sighed, "…A child couldn't have grown up in the TARDIS, no. A baby living a life like that? It would have been horrific. Never safe, no stability… It would have been cruel."

She didn't reply and looked sharply away from him.

"Rose," he stopped and removed his hand from hers, snatching at her wrist to stop her too, "Rose!"

"It doesn't matter, I'm being stupid," she mumbled.

"I would never have asked you to get rid of a child, Rose. But what's done is done, it didn't happen. He got to grow up here, have a home and a normal life. And for him, that was for the best. Up until now. Concerning Jack, its better this accident happened now and not, say, ten years ago, for you."

"What happens when we fix things?" Rose had to know, "What then? You show Jack the stars and then leave him here?" she took a step back from him, "You don't get it, do you? No one recovers after you! Nobody! I saw it in Sarah-Jane all those years ago and now I'm her. Even if you think its impossible, you always hope. Just like she did. And if you do the same thing to him, if you show him everything that's out there and you just…" her eyes were nothing but cold, her voice harsh, "I will _never_ forgive you. I… I love you and I can't help that, but I swear, if you-"

He snatched her to him, "He's my son. I might know next to nothing about him and only seen him the once so far, but I'd rather suffer than inflict hurt on him, understand?"

She nodded, once, a little stunned.

"Now, if you don't mind, we need to gather the troops."

"They're probably still in the kitchen. Kathryn eats like a horse, she does," Rose tried to joke. She freed herself and moved off ahead of him. She felt positively schizophrenic. Nineteen year old and thirty-six year selves fighting for dominance. Maybe everything had made her a little crazy.

"Oh, Rose…" he murmured, inaudible to her. He followed her through the house and to the kitchen, only to find Pete Tyler glaring at him. The Doctor grinned broadly, "Pete Tyler! Haven't seen you in years!"

"Hello, Doctor," Pete answered, warily.

The Doctor beamed, over compensating, knowing Pete could never launch any sort of viable attack on him in front of the children. Considering the nature of any grievances, he could hardly begin a lecture on multiple universes and TARDIS' and projections and the like.

"Right, you two, homework," Jackie insisted, gesturing toward the two youngest.

"Aw, Mum…" Kathryn whined.

"Can't we-" Jack began.

"No you can't," Rose said sternly, "Homework, then you come back downstairs and continue your little chat, alright?"

"But-" her sister began again.

"Now," Jackie insisted.

The Doctor grinned. No one was ever going to win an argument against those two Tyler women when they teamed up. His gaze rested on Jack for a moment, who instantly looked away. The boy had been staring at him. No matter how much he wanted to get to know his son, he couldn't exactly sit down beside him and say 'hi there, I'm your dad'. Even if he was human it wouldn't be the right thing to do, but to learn your father was an alien? Making you part alien? He wasn't sure of the right way to approach that…ever.

The teens reluctantly got up from the table and wandered to the kitchen door, as slowly as possible, which only made the Doctor smile, amused. Just what he would've done.

The door finally closed behind them, Pete started on him, as he thought he would, "Just what are you-"

"Torchwood. And don't tell me everything's been running smoothly since your People's Republic took over and everything's all bunnies and flowers because you know, and I know, that's a lie. You asked me to seal that breach and I did it. And now you lot have gone ahead and opened it right back up again," the Doctor snapped.

"And you came through it."

"I had no choice!" he shouted. He shook his head, "That doesn't matter. The rifts have to be sealed, its not just my universe and yours at risk anymore. We have to check all the rifts to the other universes. I need Rose's help."

"You know I'll help," Rose frowned.

The Doctor shot her a smile, "Oh, not just you, Rose. I think its time we met a few of your counterparts."

Jack, who had hesitated outside, ear pressed to the kitchen door, jumped back as if scalded. He stared at the door in shock. Then he legged it.


	6. Chapter 6

"Counterparts?" Rose and Tara questioned, in perfect unison.

The blonde glanced across at the brunette for a moment, catching her gaze. The two women stared at each other, as if in some kind of silent communication. One saw her past, the other saw her possible future.

Tara still had no idea of the specifics of Rose's relationship to the Doctor. She was the first to look away, down at the table, at the almost jealous look on the older woman's features. She was used to that kind of intensity, thanks to her years with the Doctor, but coming from anyone else…it was almost disturbing. The look in her eyes was somewhere between hunger and pity. It faded into sadness as Rose looked away.

"Well, there has to be more than one Rose Tyler in multiple universes, doesn't there?" the Doctor beamed.

"There wasn't in this one," Pete commented.

"And from I know of this stuff, universes close to this one are just as likely not to have a version of me in them," Rose added.

"Wherever this is heading, it's going to make my head hurt, isn't it?" Jackie mumbled, claiming a seat at the table.

"You're saying we can go through these rifts?" John asked.

"Not with the TARDIS. I'm not suicidal, you know," the Doctor replied, "If this universe still has the technology they were throwing about six years ago, then-"

"Sixteen years ago," Rose corrected him, voice soft.

He paused before continuing, "…Sixteen years ago," he agreed, "Then when we go have a little word with this Torchwood, I say we commandeer some of their highly prized universe hopping devices."

"You told me they were dangerous," Pete said.

The Doctor sighed, "Yes, I did, and they are. But using them won't be as dangerous as trying to take the TARDIS through and, ultimately, not as dangerous as leaving the rifts open."

"It's not like last time. They made these rifts by…" Rose frowned, "However you said. There isn't a switch somewhere we can flick and make everything better again."

"Which is why we're going to need some help."

"What if there aren't versions of me in these realities? And why me? They're not going to know anything about you or aliens or anything…"

He wondered if she was just being contrary to make things difficult, "If there isn't a version of you in a reality we enter, then we'll have to find someone else. But judging by your reaction to everything when we first met, I'd say, if these girls are anything like you, then they're the best people for the job," the Doctor suddenly smiled, "And if we can't find you, then we find a Jackie or a Pete-"

"Oh no you don't!" Jackie exclaimed.

"He's kidding, Mum," Rose assured her. She frowned, "You are kidding, right?"

The smile became a mischievous grin, "Am I?"

"So we're heading to Torchwood tomorrow morning," John interrupted whatever seemed to be going on round the other side of the table, "And we say what? They'll outgun us, for a start, and probably throw us right back out the front door."

The Doctor pretended shock, "When have we ever got thrown out of anywhere?"

"Numerous times."

"Have we ever stood for being thrown out?"

John frowned, "…Well…no…"

"Exactly. And Rose here can get us access to high security areas," he nodded.

Rose raised an eyebrow, "I can? I don't know every project that goes on in the place, and, from what you said earlier, it doesn't seem they trust me as much as I thought. The security clearance I have won't be enough to get you where you want to get."

"But it'll be enough to get us somewhere."

She conceded that point with a twitch of her shoulders. The idea of marching into Torchwood was suddenly making her incredibly uncomfortable. Knowing that they knew about Jack when she had tried everything in her power to keep his…abnormalities…from them frightened her more than she was letting on. It wasn't as if they had lied to her, but they had never mentioned her son beyond colleagues' polite enquiries about his progress at school, how he was doing in general – the normal things she would have expected anyone to ask.

"So, let me get this straight," Pete began, "The plan is to go and seriously naff off Torchwood, then parade round several universes, where you'll have no idea what exactly is different?"

"If we get past naffing off Torchwood, yeah," the Doctor cheerily answered.

"And our Rose is going with you?"

"Yes," Rose nodded.

"And Jack?" her 'father' asked, "What if you don't come back? What about him?"

The questioned stumped her completely. She knew her parents would take care of him if she was never to return…but her dad was right to question her. She couldn't just rush off again like she had when she was in her teens, no strings attached. Her mother had never really understood. Her son was less likely to, given to temper tantrums or not. If she didn't survive the mission they were going to undertake, all links to Jack's past would be severed. Which, in some ways, would be a good thing. However, it left him with no-one to ever truly explain to him where he really came from and, what worried her the most, left him open to attack by Torchwood. With both mother and father out of the picture, Rose wouldn't put snatching Jack away past them.

But she couldn't stay. The Doctor wanted her help. Not only her help, but the help of several versions of herself. If anything was to convince them it was going to be seeing another Rose Tyler right before their eyes. She wondered if having two copies of her in the same universe would have any repercussions, but then, she supposed, the Doctor would have said so if it wasn't safe.

There was no 'safe' option. She had a duty to Jack and a duty to his father. Hell, a duty to the universe, if it came down to it. She had never been one to step away from a challenge. Been shoved away, yes, but never of her own volition.

"Then you tell him everything when the time comes," Rose finally managed to say, "…Everything."

"Rose, you have a son to think about," her mother reminded her, "You can't just swan off and not consider these things."

"I know!" she snapped, "But if we don't seal these rifts, who knows what's going to happen? I can't just sit around and let an attempt to fix things happen and wonder what I could've done to help!"

"Jack's a bright lad. He won't just think you were hit by a car or something at the exact same time these strangers walked into this place."

"They're not strangers. I brought him up to believe in right and wrong, in doing the right thing, and if I don't live by the same rules, what kind of mother am I?"

"A wise one," Jackie stated. She stood up, "Let's show our guests to their rooms, shall we?" she prompted Pete, snatching at his elbow, "Shall we?" she repeated.

"I'm going, Mum," Rose insisted, "Nothing you say can make me stay."

"Maybe something your son says will," she glared at her husband as he opened his mouth to respond with something and was satisfied when he fell instantly silent, "Tara, John?" as she passed the Doctor, Jackie paused, "…Rose'll show you where you can sleep…if you sleep..," she wouldn't quite look him in the eye. Here he was again, all ready to tear her precious family apart for the sake of the universe.

Shooting the Doctor nervous glances, Tara and John got up from the table and followed their hosts. Reassured when he nodded, they headed out the door, each trying to start up a lively conversation with the Tylers to distract from the situation.

"…You don't have to come," the Doctor said softly.

Rose smiled sadly, "Yes, I do," she headed for the door, "Come on…I'll show you somewhere to…pace and muse?" she tried to joke, "Unless you want to go back to the TARDIS? We'll be having dinner later…"

"Actually, I was wondering if-"

"Jack?"

He nodded.

"You want to speak to him? Spend some time with him?" she asked.

"If he isn't going to think I'm some creepy stranger," the Doctor replied.

"We've got a couple of hours before dinner…maybe you could help him with his homework or something…"

"You don't mind?"

She hesitated, "…He's your son too. I'm not that cruel."

He halted, making her stop beside him, "If neither of us comes back, what happens to him?"

"Mum and Dad look after him. They run if they have to. They know what to do. We've always had plans for…if anyone found out. They go before Torchwood finds him. He's growing up, but he's still a little boy…he still calls me Mummy when he's ill…he thinks he's an adult, like they all do…like I did…but he needs taking care of. Mum and Dad know what to do…" Rose looked up at him, "…and if I don't come back and you do…then you decide what you think is best for your son."

"You wouldn't want him to live in the TAR-"

"Your choice," she uttered, not wanting to spend too much time dwelling on what was a painful subject. Rose tucked some of her hair behind her ear and headed off again, "…Let's find Jack."

* * *

"'Ryn?" 

Kathryn looked up from her book and unplugged herself from the latest portable music system as she saw Jack poke his head round the door to her bedroom, "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," the boy nodded and wandered to sit on the end of his aunt's bed, "…I've been thinking…"

"Do you ever stop? You'll strain something one day," she teased.

"'Ryn, serious moment here," Jack reached across and took her book from her, "Please."

Kathryn frowned, "…Okay…" she uttered.

"Those guys downstairs…"

"You said curiosity killed the cat…"

"I know," he answered, "But what do you think they want with Mum?"

"Rose? She works with a lot of weird people. We've seen weirder people than them. They seem pretty normal. Your mum can take care of herself, she can. Don't worry about it. If she thought they were weird, she'd have seen them off by now," she assured him.

"But they wouldn't say where that Doctor bloke was from," Jack protested, "The other two do seem pretty normal, but he…feels…"

Kathryn sat up and reached forward, grabbing at his hands, "Not this again. You know how Nan loves to tell the story of how you hated one of your playschool teachers because they 'didn't feel right'. He's done nothing to you. If our Rose trusts him, I say he's an alright guy."

"But he was talking about really strange stuff like rifts and-"

"You were listening? Nan'll get you for that," she commented, "Rifts?"

"Rifts," he nodded, "Something about universes and bunnies and flowers and the People's Republic."

"Bunnies and flowers?" Kathryn raised an eyebrow, "So the bloke's a nutcase…"

"No, but Mum and Nan…all of them, they thought he was serious…"

She smiled, "We're all a bit loopy in this family. Take Lizzie and Jimmy, for example!"

"'Ryn…"

"Jack… It's nice to see new faces, okay? Even weird ones. You know how they all watch us like we're about to be kidnapped at any moment. They seem like fun to me. Let 'em be. We'll find out more about them when they wanna talk, not by us going and terrorising them. See what they say at dinner!"

Jack nodded, reluctantly. He trusted his aunt. Though he was the real thinker of the two of them, she had always seemed to have an inner radar for trouble. If she was satisfied by what she'd seen…then it would have to be enough…for now. There was no use in winding her up and annoying her. Besides, they both had homework to do.

He smiled and clambered off the bed, throwing the book back at her, "Sooner we finish, sooner we have free time…"

"Hah, I'm starting to forget what that is with all these mock exams!" she joked.

Jack escaped from her room before she could see he hadn't quite let it all go. She had the scary knack of knowing when he was troubled. The feeling of unease he felt only grew as he walked across the large landing, headed to his own room, and he jumped as he heard his mother's voice.

"Jack!"

He realised the unease wasn't just his own worry, but the presence of the tall stranger, already throwing his senses off balance. He had to stop with the conspiracy theories. If the man was wise enough to be called a doctor then he, a kid, shouldn't distrust him. Jack narrowed his eyes as he noticed his mother was flushed and her eyes were just that little bit brighter than normal.

"How's your homework going?" Rose trotted up the last of the stairs.

"Oh…okay…" Jack replied, "Just went to see how 'Ryn was getting on with hers."

"Well, I remembered you were having some trouble with that history mock? It's just that the Doctor here happens to know a lot more about history than me, and…well, I thought he might be able to help you…" she wrung her hands, hiding her nervousness incredibly badly.

Her son hesitated, "…Sure…" he said, in rather a strange voice. Initial panic warred with the reasoning that he really did need some help, and, if he spent some time with the guy, he might figure out what was troubling him about him. That, or he could find a reason never to go near him again.

"I'm going to go investigate dinner, so I hope you two don't mind if I leave you to it?" during the short trip upstairs, Rose had decided, despite her first instincts, that leaving the Doctor and Jack alone would be more productive than her hovering and monitoring the conversation. It wasn't as if the Doctor was suddenly going to launch into talk of aliens and other worlds. He had more sense than that. Right? He certainly wouldn't tell Jack he was his father. That she knew for sure. It would cause too much damage for all of them.

"I think we can handle it," the Doctor nodded, smiling slightly.

"Can we have chips, Mum?" Jack asked, "For dinner."

Rose and the Doctor exchanged a sly, amused, smile.

"Yeah…I think we can…" she ducked her head, almost shy, and headed back down the stairs.

At that moment, the Doctor and Jack were really able to look at each other without it seeming impolite. The younger of the two was only a few inches shorter in height than his father, whilst both appeared to be horrendously thin, with the same ridiculously messy hair. Thankfully, the boy didn't notice the similarities, whilst the Doctor did, and his smile broadened.

"Lead on, Jack," he addressed his son properly for the first time.

Jack tried a polite smile, wondering why the man was grinning in such a disarming manner, and headed off. If Kathryn thought he was harmless (a nutter, but harmless) and his mum had seen fit to leave him alone with him…then he should at least try to trust him. (And help with a history exam paper wasn't to be sniffed at.)


End file.
